Billy Napier: ‘We’re going to double down on who we are’
By Mark Kern
Published:
Billy Napier and his Florida Gators are coming off a tough 18-16 home loss to South Florida in Week 2. The Gators lacked any explosiveness on offense, and showed a lack of discipline that ended up hurting the team on the last drive of the game.
With that loss, the critics are back out, wondering if Napier is the guy for the job in Gainesville. Despite hearing all of the negative comments coming from the media and the fans, Napier said the team isn’t going to change who it is in preparation for LSU.
“Yeah, I think specifically here, everything that’s been built here didn’t all of a sudden just disappear, okay? We didn’t perform to the best of our ability, the ball didn’t bounce our way on a few things,” Napier said, per Gators Online’s Zach Abolverdi. “But there’s been a ton of investment put into the people on our team, within the organization, and those things still exist.
“If you’ve been doing this the right way, you’ve developed some intangibles to prepare for these type of moments. And sometimes the game gives you what you need.”
For the Gators, the loss last week puts the team in a very tricky spot. The upcoming matchup against the Tigers starts an absolutely brutal stretch for the team. After the game against LSU on Saturday, the Gators face Miami on the road, they host Texas, and then they travel to Texas A&M.
Last season, Florida was in a similar situation where the team was staring a brutal stretch that could destroy the season. However, the team responded with some big wins, including a 27-16 win against LSU.
Napier said adversity can bring a team together, and he thinks it can galvanize this team.
“This can galvanize your group,” Napier said. “I think when adversity hits, you need to elevate and you definitely don’t need to shrink back. So, we’re going to double down on who we are and go try to play a brand of football that we all can be proud of.”
Kickoff from Death Valley is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. LSU is a 7.5-point favorite, per BetMGM.
